News
A total of 48.009 million revenue tons of international multimodal cargoes were imported to and exported from Japan in the first half (April-September) of fiscal 2013, according to a report released recently by Japan International Freight Forwarders Association Inc. (JIFFA).
The total throughput marked an increase of 2.2%, improving from a year earlier for the seventh consecutive term, or since the first half of fiscal 2010.
The JIFFA recently conducted a survey among its member companies, 414 of which responded to it, and compiled the report from their answers.
Imports to Japan were steady, hiking 4% to reach the 30-million-revenue-ton line for the first time.
On the other hand, exports from Japan were not, declining year on year for two terms in a row, as the European economy remained sluggish, while the slowdowns in the business climates in China and Southeast Asia, other major markets, became more obvious.
Looking at imports to Japan more closely by origin, those from China grew 2% from a year earlier to 16.316 million revenue tons, but the growth became smaller due to the deterioration in the diplomatic relations between Japan and China, the greatest market from which international multimodal shipments were imported.
Imports from Hong Kong fell into the negative zone, decreasing 2% to 2.47 million revenue tons, but they managed to come in second.
The combined volume of shipments from mainland China and Hong Kong was 18.79 million revenue tons, climbing 0.9% and holding a share of 60.4% of the pie, which shrank 1.9 percentage points.
Shipments from Europe remained in third place, but in terms of volume, they surged 21.4% to 2.27 million revenue tons, returning to the two-million-revenue-ton level.
Those from the U.S. finished in fourth place, which swelled 8.2% to 1.77 million revenue tons.
Imports from Vietnam came in fifth place, stepping up from seventh, which soared 33.4% to 1.639 million revenue tons.
As for exports, those to China, the leading destination of international multimodal cargoes from Japan, went up 2.9% year on year to 3.7 million revenue tons. The growth rate itself was not very significant owing to the deceleration in the growth of the Chinese economy, but quantitatively, they accounted for 21.9% of the total, expanding 0.8 percentage points.
Shipments to the U.S., which followed those to China, were weak, falling 5.5% to 2.629 million revenue tons.
Those to South Korea, which finished in fourth place a year earlier, outdid Thailand and finished in third, to which 1.486 million revenue tons were exported, improving a minute 0.7%.
Exports to Europe waned 1.9% to 1.419 million revenue tons, coming in fourth place.
Those to Thailand moved down by two ranks to fifth place, which diminished 41.9% to 1.096 million revenue tons.
